Cyborg Moths Will Help Fighter Pilots, Troops

This is a moth pupa with an implanted chip equipped with microelectrodes and fluidic paths. One day they could be the equivalent of R2-D2 for fighter pilots according to Dr Amit Lal, who works at DARPA integrating chips, sensors and nano-mechanical systems into insects to convert them into combat allies. Jump to see its final look and how it works.

The mothborgs are very real and part of their Hybrid Insect Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems subprogram, a project aiming to integrate surface sensors, optical systems, chemical sensing, storage and radio-frequency communications to create insect cyborgs. The system, as you can see in this rendering, would be powered by tiny piezo-electric systems using the moth's wings.

While the pupas already have been implanted with silicon devices, Dr Lal says that they still have to realize how to convert them into practical applications, like providing with extra information for pilots and soldiers. If you ask me, I bet the government is already using this, probably to spy people and inject DNA modifiers in our body while we sleep. I'll get my tin-foil hat now. [Ares]